Washing machine



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,785

' C. C. HOWE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 7. 1923 64131 ZQsmoa ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

. UNITED STATES res ns PATENT QFFICE.

CHESTER C. HOWE, OF NEW KENSING'ION, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS SIG-NMENTS. TO FRANK R. ALTER, OF PABNASSUS, PENNSYLVANIA.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed March '7, 1923. Serial No. 623,378.

This invention is for an improvement in washing machines, and relates particularly to a brush washing machine structure for use in combination with a power driven agitating washer having a wringer operated from the same source of power as the agitating washer.

Most washing machines built for domestic use at the present time have the reversible power driven wringer arranged to swing in a horizontal plane to a plurality of different operating positions. This enables the wringer to wringgelothes from the machine into a tub, or from one tub into another tub,

l or from a tub into a basket, the wringing operations being made, when desired, in all cases except the firstywith the agitating washer in operation.

The present invention proposes as its principal object to combine withthe wringer thus mounted and driven, a brush washer,

the combination being effected in such manner as to provide a compact structure with the wringer arranged above the revolving brush and so disposed that water therefrom will not fall onto the brush, and yet be so mounted as not to obstruct the operators view of the brush, or be so high above the brush as to present an unwieldy appearance.

The brush and wringer are both geared to a vertical drive shaft in such manner that they may be swung in a horizontal are there: about, while maintaining driving relation therewith.

The invention may be understood by referring to the accompanying drawing, in which: j

, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the gearing and housing therefor for driving the brush and the wringer, the cover being removed; Fig. 3' is a section in the plane of line IIIIII of Fig. 2; V i

Fig. 4: represents an end view of the brush housing.

In the drawing, 5' designates asupporting frame on which is carried a tub 6. Below the tub, on the frame, is a motor 7 which drives a vertical shaft 8 contained in a tubular housing. 9 extending up one side of the frame. At 10 is the gear housing which plate for the housing and 18, and two faces 19 and 20. Side 18 is 1 preferably removable, to give access to the interior of the chamber. The side 17, instead of being flat across its width, has an integral offset portion or face 17".

Secured to the side 17 of the housing is he end plate 21 of the brush washer and wringer frame, the upper part of the wringer frame being further secured to the support by screw 22 passing through integral lugs on the support and frame, respectively.

The brush washer and wringer frame 1ncludes a horizontal beam 24, and 25 (see Fig. 4:) is theend plate which is secured to the end of the beam by bolts which pass through holes 26 therein. A brush carrying shaft 27 is journalled in plate 25 and passes through the endplate 21 and has a bearing21 in the support 14:. The inner end of this shaft terminates in chamber 15. On the shaft 27 is a brush 28. 29 is a scrubbing roll which holds the clothes against the brush, the structure of the brush washer being shown in my copending application filed September 23, 1922, Serial No. 590, 005. I The wringer has upper and lower, rolls, 30 and 31 respectively, and the two rolls are preferably geared together in the usual man ner, the gearing not being shown but being retained. The shaft of the lower roll 31 is connected at coupling 32 with a stub shaft 83 journaled in the support 1 1, in thetofiset part thereof. The wringer has oppositelysloping drain boards '34- and 35. These drain boards must have sufficient slope to return the water to the .be set forward over the front of the brush.

Drain board 34: may then have the proper degree of slope todrain the water from the wringer, and may be short enough that it will structed, and yetwill be of suflicinet length not eXtend down so far that the view of the operator of average 'helght would be obthat the water will not fall on the brush washer. If the offset in the support H were i not provided, the drain board 34 would have to be so long that the operators View of the brush would be cut off. Drain board 35 may be of any desiredlength, as the brush is not operated from that side of the machine.

The shaft-8 projects upinto the chamber 15, At is a bevel gear wheel loose on the shaft S. This wheel meshes with a similar, but smaller, gear on the brush shaft 27. Splined on the vertical shaft 8 is a clutch ll having pins 42 for engagement ith recesses in, the face of gear wheel 40. This clutch is operated through feather 43 and rock shaft 44 from a crank or lever &5 on the outside of the casing 14. Byoperation ,of the clutch, the brush maybe driven fromshaft 8 at a much higher speed than thatat which shaft 8 revolves. i

On the end of shaft 8 is a bevel gear 46 which meshes with twooppositely disposed gear wheels "47 and 48 looseon a stub shaft 49, whereby the wheels 47 and 48 are driven in opposite directions. Splined on the shaft 49 between thetwo wheels 47 and 48, is a clutch member 50 which may be shifted into engagement with one or the other of said wheels, to impart rotation to the shaft.

ndwhichf is fixed on the shaft.

.The clutch member 50 is shifted by means of yoke 51 on a transverse shaft 52whose ends project beyond the casing and are'providcd with cranks 53 and 54. Crank 53 extends in direction diametrically opposite to crank 54. The advantage of this is that, no matter which side of the wringer the operator is on, she may move one of the cranks always, we may assume, to the left to] make the rolls turn away from her and [to the right to make them turn toward her.- This is a great convenience as, on most machines,

the clutch lever must be operated inoppositedirections, or relatively opposite directions when the operator changes from one side of the wringer to the other. I

On the shaft 49'is a small gear wheel 55 This, gear wheel meshes with a larger gearwheel 56 on "the shaft 33 in the offset part of the housing.

This gearing not only allows the wringer to be offset out of lateral alinement with the plane in which the shaft 8 islocated, as here inbefore described, but provides a speed reduction for the, wringer rolls, a feature which is desirable'bccause of the relatively high speed. at which the shaft 8-is operated scribed, the brush and wringer may be swung in a horizontal"plane in a. circle,with

the axis of shaft 8 its center. At 60 a clamping bolt by means of which the wringer and brush support may be clamped to holdit frictionally against rotation.

The two end members of the brush frame are connected by a: lower. rod 61. At 62 is a guard which extends around the rear of the brush to catch water and dirt thrown off by the brush and return it to the recepta'tlo over which the. brush'is operating.

This guard has a part 63 extending around the rod 61 so that the guard hinges there i on. The guard is held in place byscrews be having winged heads to facilitate their removal, these screws passing through the guard and threading mto the end frame member. Upon removal of the screws, the guard may be swung down and access had to the interior thereof, whereby it may 'becleaned.

.Vithin the chamber 15 is a horizontal partition 65 which serves to divide the chamber into upper and. lower lcompart ments. This enables the gearing. for the Wringer to be run in grease and the gearing for the brush to run in' grease, without necessitating that the entire chamber be filled. If the "entire chamber were filled, it would be necessary to provide packing around the brush clutch .o crating shaft;

Various changes and mo ifications may be made in the invention within the scope of the appended claims." V a V a The brush washer and wringer frame with the brush and Wringer rolls carried above described 1 this unit is rotatably mountedso that it maybe swung in a horizontal plane and at the' same time maintained in driving relation with a VVhatI claim is 1. A supporting and operating device for laundry units, comprising a support, arot-atable casing carried thereon, a horizontal thereby constitute; a laundry unit, and, as

1 10 drive shaft.

arm carried by the casing, gearing inside the casing, a horizontal shaft operated through the gearing below the arm, a second 4 horizontal shaft above the arm and later ally off-set with respect to the fi r'st shaft but parallel thereto.

2'. Driving and supportingmechanism for .1

.wringers comprising a vertical shaft, acas ing rotatable about the upper end of the shaft, an offset chamber in thetop of the casing, a wring'eroperating shaft projecting from the offset portion of the casing, a reducing gear associated with thewrmger shaft and received in the offset portion of the casing, a. reversing gear driven from the vertical shaft and op'eratively associated with the reducin gear, and a wringer supporting arm on the casing. V

3. A supporting and operating means for laundry units including a. supporting frame, a vertical drive shaft carried thereby, a casing rotatable about the drive shaft as a center, said drive shaft extending upwardly 7 most bevel gear, a reversing gear operatively associated with the upper bevel gear, a reducing gear cooperating with the reversing gear, and a second operating shaft above the first shaft driven through the reducing gear.

4. A supporting and operating means for laundry units including a supporting frame, a vertical drive shaft carried thereby, a casing rotatable about the drive shaft as a center, said drive shaft extending upwardly into the casing, a pair of bevel gears on the drive shaft one above the other, a laundry,

unit operating shaft driven by the lowermost bevel gear, a reversing gear operatively' associated with the upper bevel gear, a reducing gear cooperating with the reversing gear, and a second operating shaft above the first shaft driven through the reducing gear, said lower gear having a larger'diameter than the upper gear by means of which the lower shaft may be operated relatively faster than the upper shaft.

5. A, supporting and operating means for laundry units including a supporting frame,

a vertical drive shaft carried thereby, a casing rotatable about the drive shaft as a center, said drive shaft extending upwardly into the casing, a pair of bevel gears on the drive shaft one above the other, a laundry unit operating shaft in the lowerpart of the casing radially disposed with respect to the vertical shaft and having a gear meshing with the lowermost bevel gear, a reversing gear associated with the upper bevel gear, a reducing gear drivenby the reversing gear and located above and to one side thereof, and a second shaft in the housing driven through the reducing gear, said shaft being above and to one side of the radially disposed shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHESTER o. HOWE. 

